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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

10 Months DTE and a little September Update

This post has been in the que for quite a while and I am happy to get it out there!

September officially hit the 10 month mark of waiting. Well, yes, still waiting.

September was a good month, though, because I got to go to the Empowered to Connect conference and learn so much more about how to parent our little person. If you haven't heard of it, Empowered to Connect is partially sponsored by Show Hope, the organization started by Stephen Curtis Chapman and his people. Their goal is to help parents learn how to successfully parent kids from hard places. And you know what? All our kids from adoption are from hard places. Dr. Karyn Purvis, or as I like to call her, Gray-Haired Adoption Mary Poppins, lead the seminar. You may have heard of her. She wrote a pretty amazing book (I'm currently reading it and can vouch for its awesomeness) called The Connected Child. The seminar is the book in words and videos and it was so inspiring to hear her speak about the reasons behind the parenting techniques she recommends. I may or may not have started practicing them with kids in our ministry.

I won't be able to do the conference justice. If you're looking for resources, I would recommend heading to the Empowered to Connect website. They have tons of videos and other good stuff. Now I know, like so many other parenting books and recommendations, it's easier said than done. But I think the biggest thing to me is she gives science behind what she does and she gives hope for all situations. It made me really excited to eventually have my child home and start the long bonding, parenting process. And you know what? I am not always in that excited place. I'll be honest and say I can't be. I just can't. If I were excited and hopeful and amped up every day, ten months later my heart would be drained. But it was good stuff. It let me get to that place of wanting to be a mommy to that little one and really look forward to that time.

I also got to meet some people from my agency. We all planned to do dinner at the house of a local couple. I wasn't sure how it would go (hey--I'm honest!). I was a bit afraid we would all get in the same room and only have adoption and Jesus in common. And while that's a lot, I was a little worried if it would be enough. You know what, though? It was an immediate connection. We shared dinner, a glass of wine, our stories, our prayers, and our hearts. By the end of the night, I felt personally connected with these people. We left as friends. It's pretty amazing what Jesus and adoption can give you as a starting point. And, of course, it's hard to share prayers to the father without sharing your heart. It was just an amazing night and I can't wait to follow all of their adoption journeys. In fact, one family got their referral this week!

September also brought my birthday. Yes, I am 29. No, I have no idea what I am going to do with this blog when I turn 30 next year. Any suggestions welcome:). The birthday was great. I am telling you this so the pictures will make sense...

I photographed our chain on my birthday cards since our DTE-anniversary was one day before my birthday. Here's a funny story--I tried to put a verse that spoke to me earlier in the month. As it turns out, I used that verse a few months ago. Whoops! So here was the verse I chose instead...

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'my purpose will stand and I will do all that I please'." Isaiah 46:10

One more month... one less month to read and prepare. One more month of waiting, down.

May 7, 2011--Garage Sale fundraiser (raised $280)July 9, 2011--Second Home Study visit ($110 for mileage)August 6, 2011--Submit our two forms that need to be state certified to the Secretary of State ($27 including shipping)

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About Me

I am a girl who loves glitter, wildly dancing in the grocery store, and reading about Jesus. I have two pups named Rodrigo and Gabriela and the Hubs and I am working on getting my son home, one set of paperwork at a time.